| | | | | | SOLID DAY | Menard overcomes penalty in solid Texas performance | |
| | From Staff Reports Paul Menard and the No. 15 Dale Earnhardt Inc. team turned in a solid performance from start to finish in this weekend’s Dickies 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. After qualifying in the 11th position, Menard and his Menards backed team overcame an early pit road speeding penalty to finish the race in a respectable 22nd place.
“It was just a solid weekend overall,” Menard said. “We were good off the truck with the Johns Manville/Menards Chevy and that definitely continued through qualifying and practice. If it weren’t for the pit road penalty, I believe we would have been battling for a top-10 in the race.”
The pit road penalty came on lap 53 of the 334-lap event, which paved the way for Menard to rebound in the duration of the race.
While being shown in the 34th place, Menard continued to provide feedback to Crew Chief Doug Randolph in effort to gain positions on track. By the time he returned to pit road on lap 110, Menard was up to the 30th spot. At the halfway point of the race, he was solidly running inside the top 30, while occupying the 28th position.
“The Menards pit crew was great today,” Menard said. “They really kept us in position to gain spots by getting us in and out of the pits quick.”
Menard was up to the top-25 by lap 280. In the closing laps of the Dickies 500, he was able to capitalize on his better handling racecar and rounded out the 34th race of the season in 22nd place.
Menard continues to maintain his hold on the 26th spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup driver’s point standings before heading to Phoenix International Raceway for the final short track race of the season.
| | Posted November 03, 2008 , 12:45 am EST
Last Updated November 03, 2008 , 11:56 pm EST | | | | | | | | | | |
